These would be great for a martini party - I made them and they are good! They looked good in martini glasses. (in the foreground is bar nuts which are also great) as well as IMO other martini glasses filled with various types of olives from the deli...garlic stuffed, kalamata, cheese stuffed, hot olives, etc... Michael Chiarello's Crispy Sausage-Stuffed Olives This appetizer packs a lot of southern Italian attitude into every bite. I love to catch my guests off-guard with a flavor they don't expect. The idea is to wake up their palates with some big tastes and textures. This dish does just that. - Michael Chiarello INGREDIENTS: 1 sweet fresh Italian sausage, about 1/4 pound, casing removed 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 1 can or jar (12 ounces) large pitted green olives 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 large egg 1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil peanut oil for deep-frying PREPARATION: In a bowl, combine the sausage meat, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using, and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Drain the olives and rinse them under running cold water. Stuff each of the olives with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the sausage mixture. Spread the flour of a dinner plate. Break the egg into a shallow bowl and beat lightly. Spread the bread crumbs on another dinner plate. Moisten the bread crumbs with the olive oil, and stir to distribute the oil evenly. One at a time, roll the olives in the flour, coating them evenly and shaking off the excess. Then dip them in the egg, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Finally, coat the olives evenly with the bread crumbs. As each olive is finished, place it on a tray. Cover and refigerate the olives for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours before frying. Pour the peanut oil to a depth of at least 3 inches into a deep fryer or a heavy, 8-inch-deep stockpot and heat to 375 degrees. Working in batches, add the olives to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and the sausage stuffing is cooked through, about 3 minutes. The olives will bubble vigorously until they are nearly done, so be careful to avoid splatters. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Arrange the olives in a ceramic dish. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 35 olives; Serves 6 to 8 COOKING NOTES: Look for large, pitted green Sicilian-style olives for this dish. They come packed in cans and jars, or buy them loose from a local deli. If you can only find already-stuffed olives - with pimientos, onions, anchovies, almonds - you can just remove the stuffing. Bar Nuts From The Union Square Cafe Cookbook, HarperCollins, 1994 These nuts won The New York Press award for "best bar nuts in New York." Every afternoon at about 4:45, a piping hot batch emerges from our ovens and is sent out to the bar, where the sweet rosemary fragrance wafts throughout the restaurant. Though they don't have a television set at they're bar, these nuts would probably be a hit in your living room accompanied by a football game and some ice-cold beer. Yields 5 cups Ingredients 1/4 pound each peeled peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds or 1 pounds unsalted, assorted nuts. 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3. In the large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. 4. Thoroughly toss the warm toasted nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm. From the The Union Square Cafe Cookbook, ©1994

Monday, May 12 is our Appetizer Party. Please join in with a post of any appetizers you make from new Appetizer Chapter that AnnT has been sending out. I'll start the thread on Sat. No rules or anything like that, this is just a fun way to show off our creations and let Ann know how much we appreciate her hard work and generosity. Join in if you can!!!!! Please don't post to this thread so it stays at the top. Thanks! Nancy

EASY and QUICK Appetizers 1. Brick of Cream Cheese thickly slathered with Red Pepper Jelly 2. Brick of Cream Cheese thickly slathered with Green Pepper Jelly Note: Sometimes the Red and the Green Pepper jelly are on the shelves with sweet jellies. Sometimes they are stocked with condiments such as mayo, pickles, olives. The Red Pepper Jelly is much hotter than the green. 3. 1 can of small shrimp.. broken pieces are okay. Drain and add enough of Best Foods (Hellmans) mayo and mash up to make a spread. No need to add spices or herbs. Buy an assortment of crackers and cocktail breads to serve with the above 3 appetizers. Buy a bunch of parsley and 'decorate' the 3 plates with parsley after removing some of the big stems. I specialize in parsley placement ;-) at my house.

And here's another good one. Make a day in advance. 2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, room temp. 2 small cloves garlic, minced 2 T. minced green onion or chives 2 T. chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. dried) 2 T. chopped fresh dill (or 1 1/2 tsp. to 2 tsp. dried) 1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste) Garnish: Lemon pepper and chopped parsley Combine ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill. Form into ball, then lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper and chopped parsley.